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Travel opportunities, job satisfaction and growth: How diverse talents thrive in S’pore’s MICE industry

By bringing international conferences and exhibitions to life, the events industry has opened doors to meaningful careers for three MICE professionals

(From left) Ms Isabel Shankar, Mr Joshua Lek and Ms Eu Yan Jun bring different expertise to Singapore’s MICE industies, which handles international conferences, trade exhibitions and corporate events across various fields. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA

PUBLISHED Dec 20, 2024, 04:00 AM

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For Joshua Lek, no two days at work are ever the same. One morning might find him behind the scenes at a product launch in Tuas, transforming an industrial space into an immersive brand experience for pharmaceutical clients. The next day, he’s orchestrating a business luncheon in the heart of Orchard Road.

Despite the busy nature of the job, Mr Lek, an account manager at Global Meetings & Events Company, BCD Meetings & Events Asia Pacific, can’t see himself working in any other industry. His decade-long career in Singapore’s meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry has taken him from cruise ships to international conferences.

“Even though I’ve been in the industry for 10 years, there’s still a lot to learn,” he says.

It’s a common sentiment that keeps people in the industry for a long time, he says. “People stay in the MICE industry because it’s constantly evolving. That’s what makes it exciting – there’s always something new to explore and try.”

As Singapore cements its position as Asia Pacific’s premier MICE destination, professionals such as Mr Lek are at the forefront of an industry that is experiencing unprecedented growth.

The nation is ranked second in the International Congress and Convention Association’s 2023 Worldwide City Rankings, rising over 10 places from 2022 and reinforcing Singapore’s reputation as a top MICE destination.

This ranking is reflected in the nation’s ability to host some of the world’s largest business events. Earlier this year, Singapore hosted events such as the Singapore Fintech Festival, which drew over 65,000 participants from 134 countries, and the Singapore Airshow, Asia’s largest aerospace and defence exhibition. Major trade exhibitions such as Food&HotelAsia and ITB Asia are also held in Singapore every year.

Opportunities to grow

Mr Lek’s career illustrates the diverse paths that one can take in the MICE industry. Starting as a part-timer with Royal Caribbean Cruises handling reservations, he discovered his passion for planning experiences. This led him to roles of increasing responsibility – from a bilingual sales executive at a Korea Specialised travel agency organising group tours and customised incentive trips, to managing 1,000-attendee events as a Reservations Executive at Resorts World Sentosa. A five-year stint at Changi Recommends followed, where he rose to corporate sales manager overseeing leisure and corporate travel services. Today, as an account manager, he handles client relations for corporate events while keeping a balanced family life. 

For Mr Lek, Singapore’s MICE industry offers plenty of opportunities to take on different roles as career and life needs change. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA 

The thought of leaving MICE never crossed his mind, even after having his first child. The industry’s project-based nature means work patterns vary throughout an event’s lifecycle, from planning to execution. This flexibility allows professionals to find roles that align with their changing life circumstances.

He says: “You can still be really involved in the pre-planning stages of the event, like venue sourcing, which gives you more flexibility in your working hours.”

As an account manager for pharmaceutical events, he finds plenty of opportunities to explore new ways to deliver innovative conferences and exhibitions for this segment. Each new project offers fresh challenges to learn from and grow professionally.

As more pharmaceutical companies establish their regional headquarters here, Mr Lek coordinates events that bring together medical professionals and industry leaders from around the world.

Such global exposure is one reason that makes the MICE industry appealing to veterans as well as new joiners. “There is always something new coming out in Singapore,” he says. “So there’s always a challenge of adapting and becoming familiar with new practices, new technologies.”

While Mr Lek has 10 years of experience in MICE, Ms Eu Yan Jun is two years into her first job at Clarion Events. She saw the industry as a chance to try something different. “I wanted a job that had an element of exploration, and that would let me meet new people,” she says.

She organises events for the medical and insurance sector, coordinating healthcare and insurance conferences and exhibitions that attract healthcare and insurance professionals, technology innovators and industry leaders from all over the world.

With a degree in communications, she has other career pathways, but she picked MICE because she could directly observe how audiences engage with the content pieces, short videos and visual displays she produces.

“You get to see actual conversions when people turn up at the event, something you don’t usually get in other marketing jobs,” she says.

Instead of creating content for websites and social media, she now designs event materials and presentations that attendees can engage with directly during conferences and exhibitions.

Like industry veteran Mr Lek, Ms Eu’s job allows her to engage professionals from different industries and walks of life.

Ms Eu chose MICE to create events that directly engage audiences, applying her communication skills to healthcare conferences. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA 

Since starting, she has gained valuable expertise in managing healthcare and insurance events, equipping her with skills that she can apply to organising conferences across different industries.

“It’s really a sweet spot to be in,” she says. “And there’s still so much more to learn.”

Developing soft skills

The industry’s constantly evolving nature fosters both professional expertise and personal development.

“It helps you build the soft skills,” says Ms Isabel Shankar, a senior project executive at Koelnmesse Ptd Ltd. The company organises some of the region’s largest dental and orthodontic trade exhibitions and conferences, which attract over 500 exhibitors and 9,000 international attendees.

With a polytechnic diploma in events management, she knew early on that she wanted to pursue a career in the industry. While her formal education gave her a strong foundation, it was her hands-on experience that helped her overcome her introverted nature and build her confidence.

“Organising events and having to interact face-to-face with people from all walks of life helped me come out of my shell a bit more and become more outspoken,” she says.

She also had to think on her feet to solve problems such as discrepancies in attendee lists, which require swift coordination to reconcile data and prevent delays. She also highlighted the need for quick decision-making to address last-minute schedule changes, such as reallocating spaces or accommodating VIP requests.

“You could spend months, even years planning for one thing, but when unexpected situations arise on event day, you need to make quick decisions and find immediate solutions,” she says.

The MICE landscape, she adds, has evolved very quickly since she joined five years ago. In her first role as specialist in visitor promotion and registration, she was sent for upskilling and retraining to learn how to organise hybrid and digital events.

As a senior project manager at Koelnmesse, Ms Shankar gets a sense of satisfaction when she sees months of planning transform into successful trade exhibitions.  PHOTO: SPH MEDIA

Her professional journey also took her across borders, attending major trade shows and conferences where she gained exposure to emerging event technologies and new ways of engaging audiences. From digital event platforms to immersive exhibition designs, these experiences showed her how the industry is changing. She is now looking to further her growth by taking on new challenges in roles such as exhibition sales and conference management.

“As long as you’re willing to learn, there will be opportunities for you,” she says

Great sense of satisfaction

The fast-paced nature of the job demands agility and resilience, but the rewards are tangible. “It’s the satisfaction you feel at the end of each show,” says Ms Shankar. “There’s no other high like the energy you feel onsite – that positive, vibrant energy is just the best feeling and gives me that extra motivation for the next project. It’s so satisfying to see months of hard work come to fruition.” 

It’s a sentiment shared by Ms Eu who finds fulfillment in seeing how her events foster meaningful connections within the healthcare industry.

“When you see delegates actively networking, sharing insights and forming partnerships that could lead to healthcare innovations, you realise the impact of your work goes beyond just organising an event,” she says.

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